Dispensing machine



Oct. 4, 1932; FARMER 1,880,956

DISPENSING MACHINE Filed April 1. 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l [/1 Vera for, c/m F. Far/n er Oct 4, 1932.

J. F. FARMER 1,880,956

DISPENSING MACHINE Filed April 1,1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 /n veflfar, Z-r/O/l/l FTFar/ner Patented Oct. 4, 1932 PATENT OFFICE JOHN F. FARMER, OFINDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA DISPENSING MACHINE p Application filed April '1,1931. Serial No. 526,800.

This invention relates to the art of dispensing devices and particularlyto a structure adapted to dispense articles which may vary in sizes andthe priceof which articles may also'vary, in which case a varying numberof the articlesmay be sold for a single com. I 1

. A primary object of my invention is to provide a structure which mayreceive and dispense articlesin bulk or;-packaged form without change inthe structure;

A primary object of the invention resides in the novel means forreceiving and retaining articlesto be dispensed and in the control fordispensing a fixed number of such articles upon operation of the'device.Further important objects reside in the new" and useful assembly of thevarious elements permitting the production of a dispensing device at arelatively low cost and permitting an extremely simple" operationthereof. Y V i v 'These and other objects will become apparent in thefollowing description of the invention as illustrated in one particularform in the accompanying drawings, in which I Fig. 1 is a frontelevation of a display case in which my invention isfembodied; a

V Fig. 2, a vertical transverse section on the line;22 in Fig. 1 on anenlarged scale;

Fig.3, a vertical longitudinalsection on the line 3-3 in Fig.2; 1 r 7Fig. 4, a detail in fragmentary top plan view ofthe control mechanism;and

' Fig. 5, a longitudinal vertical section on the line 5-5 in Fig. 4. p VLike characters of reference indicate like parts throughout the severalviews in the drawings. 3

7 Within a show .oaseIO in the upper part thereof, I fix a horizontallydisposed shaft 11' on which are rotatably carried a number of spiders12. I Each spider has one end of a torsional spring 13 fixed theretowhich is wrapped about the shaft to have the other end secured by acollar 14 fixed to the shaft 11 by the set screw- 15, the end of thespring being engaged about the screw.

2.10 E h pider 12 has a plurality of stirrups 16 attached theretoextending radially from the spider to have their planes include the axisof the shaft 11. Each of the stirrups 16 carries a bucket 17 suspendedby brackets 18 and 19 each of which is rotatably mounted on the stirrupto support the bucket 17 therebetween, Fig. 3. The brackets 18 and 19have inturned tongues 20 to extend under the bracket and forwardlyextending e'ars, Fig. 2, through which ears rivets 22 are passed intothe bucket 17 torotatably secure the bucket 17 whereby the rear portionof the bucket normally rests on the tongue 20 and the forward portion issupported by the rivets. e

. Each stirrup 16 has a pin 23 projecting laterally from one side, eachpin being adapted to contact consecutively with the under side of theintercepting plunger 24. The plunger 24, Figs. 4 and 5, comprises aslide bar 25 slidably guided within the sleeve 26 and a rear stop 27which is fixed to the slide 25 and has a horizontally disposed lip 28with an opening 29 cut therethrough at a distance from the rear end of asuflicient width to permit the pins 23 to pass upwardly therethrough.

A spring 30 fixed to an ear 31 and to the wall of the case 10 normallyholds the plunger 24 in an outward position, Fig. 2, whereby a pin 23may contact the lip 28 back of the opening 29. The sleeve 26 extendsthrough the wall of the case 10 and a push button 32 is secured on theouter end of a slide bar 33 which is slidably guided withinthesleeve.26, Figs. 4 and 5, the, slide bar 25 and the bar 33 being notchedon their vertically opposed faces so as to permit a coin 34 to beinserted through an openingkon the topside of the sleeve 26 between thetwo bars in such a manner that the shoulder of thenotch on the bar 33will press against the coin 34 so as to carry it against the opposingshoulder on the bar 25, all in such a manner that by pushing inwardly onthe button 32 with a coin inserted as described the bar 25 will becarried rearwardly by the intervening coin. A trough 35 is fixed to theunderside of the sleeve 26 to receive the coin 34 through an openingin'the sleeve rearwardly disposed in relation to'the Y of the case isopened tolp-ermita'ccessltd Fig. 2. v The shoulders on the bars 26 and38 are relieved from their undersides so that when the coin 34: has beenpushed to the rear by pressure on theb-utton 32 suiiiciently, the coin34 may dro-p by gravity intothe trough 35. z

In operating the device, the upper door 37 the buckets 17 which'may befilled with the articles to be dispensed. As'each'buc-ket" is filled itis pushed downwardly from the door bring the next above buckettherearound: for filling V In thisfillingjoperaition the pins 23 strikeon the ,upper side of the lip 28 The stop27 is rockably secured totheslide bar 25 by the: pintle 38? and is normally held in a hori'zontal-lydisposed position by the pull of the rear end of the sleeve 26'tO-llmit"t11eifO'r-' ward travel of the stop 27 and bar 25 under thepullof the spring 30 After all, of the buckets 17 of: the coin 84 in theopening in the-top side of-rthe. sleeve 26, followingewhich the button32 is pressed inwardly. The buckets-being pushed downwardly inthefilling operation are moved to cause the spring 13 to become woundtightly about the shaft 11 in such a manner that the buckets tend to bemoved in;v

a counter-clockwise direction through the tendency ofthe spring 13'tofiunwindand carry the spider 12 around about the shaft 11. Thisreversetravel, however, is prevent- I edgby reason of thepin=23being pressedupwardlyagainst the underside of the lip 28 after the pin has beenpressed downwardly sufiiciently to have rocked the stop 27 and passedthereunder.-

Now as the button32 is pressed inwardly with the coin having beeninserted as above described, the stop 27 is likewisepushed in wardlyagainst the pull of the spring 30 sufficiently toibring the-opening 29over the pin23 so as to permit that pin 23; to be carried through theopening'29 under the pull of the spring" 13 to cause that pin to strikeagainst the underside oftheupper overturned lip 39 projectinghorizontally from the side wallfof thestop 27, Fig. 5. v 1 Asthe pin 23passes-through the opening 29,;the coin 34 drops into the trough 35 andthereby permits the spring 30 to, return: the stop27 forwardly againstthe sleeve 26. vOn

I p I have been filled as desired, the door 37 is closed and the dc.vice is ready to'be operated by the insertion the forward side of eachbucket 17 is an upturned hook dland a bar 4:2 is positioned in the'pathof these hooks whereby as the pin 23 travels through the opening 29 inthe stop 27,'thehook 41 engages the bar 42 and,

as thepin travels upwardly, the stirrup, 16',

pulls the brackets 18 and 19 upwardly to 3 2 cause the bucket 17 to rockabout the-pivot rivets 20 and therebydump the contents of the bucket outthrough an opening through the forward side ofthe case 10 which iscovdumped downwardly onto a platform 4;

e running acrossthe'length of the case'lO. in a clockwise direction,Fig. 2', in order to.

' bucket hasbeen unloaded at. which time aered by a hood 43 directingthe contents so finger 45-fixed to-the stirrup 16 comesaround andstrikes theunderside: of. thestop 27'so asto'prevent further travel ofthe-i-spider-12r Ai'shoul der 4601i the arm 45-then extends up wardlybehindthe'stop 27 whereby the stop 27 cannot be pushedrearwardlyeven'though a coin be inserted within the-sleeve 26' inthe.

usual manner: Iii-this position the button 32 cannot be 'pushedinwardlyand the coin re-' mains stationary and can be withdrawn from the sleeve.7

As indicated Fig-.1 1 any number of dispensingunits'may be embodied inone'case, seven such units being, here. indicated with varying sizes ofhoods 43 to permitthe distities thereo-f-., "The openinginto the sleeve26 may bevaried to receive different. sizes of. coins depending upon thearticle's 'tozbe dispensed. The front portion-38 of the. case myinvention in the one best form as now known to me, it is obvious thatstructural ,charge of varying sizes of articles "and quan- V changes maybe made without departing from the-spirit of the invention and I,therefore, do not desire to be limited tothat precise form. nor any'morethan maybe required by the following claims; 7

1. In a coin controlled merchandise vending device, a rotatable: reel,means for separately and automatically rota'tingthe reel in onedirection, anannular-series o'frmerchandisecontaining buckets supportedby the reel, a push bararresting the automatic movement of the reel intheouter position of the 7 bar and releasing it at the innerposition ofthebar, said bar having an inner end with a passage having pin-arrestingoffsets, through which the ,pins successively pass, said end beingjointedto swing in one direction only for the manual reverseflmovementfof thereel in the operation of filling the buckets" 2. In acoin controlled merchandise-vend ing device, a rotatable reeL'a spring,for the wise in filling the buckets.

3. In a coin controlled merchandise vending device, a rotatable reel, aspring for the reel separately andautomatic'ally rotating it clockwise,an annular series of'merchandise containing bucket-s supported by thereel, a push bar arresting the automatic movement of the reel in theouter position of the bar and releasing it at the inner position of thebar,

said bar having an end with a passage having pin-arresting ofi'set'sthrough which the pins successively pass, said end being jointed toswing in one direction only permitting the manual movement of the reelcounter clockwise in filling the buckets, a trough andmeans comprisingahook on the bucket and a fixed hook-engaging means for dumping thecontents of the buckets seriatim into the trough.

4:. In a 'merchandise'vending device, a rotatable reel, means forintermittently rotating the reel, an annular series of merchandisecontaining buckets swinginglysupported by the reel, each bucket having ahook, a trough adjacent the path of the buckets and a member in the pathof the hooks near the trough to engage the hook as a bucket passes thetrough and dump the bucket contents into the trough. r v

5. In a merchandise vending device, a rotatable reel comprising anannular series of stirrups, means for intermittently rotating the reel,a pair of brackets pivoted to the stirrup having inturned ends andextensions laterally in the same direction, a merchandise containingbucket between each pair of brackets supported on the inturned ends and'pivotally secured to the ends of the lateral extensions,a hook on eachbucket, a trough, and a hook engaging member near the trough in the pathof the hooks to engage each hook as it passes and dump the contents ofthe bucket into the trough.

6. In a merchandise vending device, a rdtatable reel comprising anannular series of stirrups, means for intermittently ro- I tating thereel, a pair ofbrackets pivoted to each stirrup having inturned ends andextensions laterally in the same direction, a

merchandise containing bucket between each pair of brackets supportedonthe inturned ends and pivotally secured to the ends of the lateralextensions, a hook on each bucket, a

trough, and a hook engaging member near the trough inthe path of thehooks to engage each hook as it passes and dump the contents of thebucket into the trough, a cabinet in which the reel is housed havingopenings above the hook engaging member for the discharge therethroughof the contents of the buckets into the trough located outside of thecabinet, and a hood also located outside of the cabinet to direct thedischarge into the trough, the front of the cabinet having a glasscovered sight opening to enable a customer to see the buckets in thereel when making a selection for a purchase and guide him in operatingthe device.

7 In a coin controlled merchandise vending device, one or more rotatablereels, spring means for rotating each reel in a clockwise direction, anannular series of merchandise containing buckets swingingly supported byeach reel, a pin laterally projected from each bucket, a push bar foreach reel having a bottom normally crossing the path of the pins in itsoutermostposition to arrest the reel, a

spring to hold the bar in this normal position, said bar having a slotfor the passage of the pin when the bar is pushed in and a top to arrestand hold the pin until the bar is returned by the spring to contact thenext pin by the bottom of the bar.

8. In a coin controlled merchandise vending device, one or morerotatable reels, spring means for rotating each reel in a clockwisedirection, an annular series of merchandise containing bucketsswingingly supported by each reel, a pin laterally projected from eachbucket, a push bar for each reel normally crossing the path of the pinsin its outermost position to arrest the reel, a spring to hold the barin this normal position, said bar having a 7 separate end hinged toswing only in a downward direction to which end the second spring isattached to also hold up the sepa- In testimony whereof I afiix mysignature.

JOHN F. FARMER.

